Fresh off back-to-back wins for the first time this season, Louisville City FC will look to keep climbing the Eastern Conference table when they host the Charleston Battery Wednesday night. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at Lynn Family Stadium.

LouCity has found its best form of late, defeating rivals Indy Eleven 2-0 on July 29 before cruising past FC Tulsa 3-0 last Friday. The surging boys in purple now sit fourth in the East at 10-7-5, just three points behind Charleston in second place. 

The secret to LouCity’s success has been a tactical shift to a three-back system following the addition of defender Kyle Adams. The new shape has energized the attack, with 5 goals scored over the last two games.

Oscar Jimenez and Amadou Dia have thrived in wingback roles, pushing higher up the field to provide width and service. Their crosses set up all three goals in the Tulsa rout.  

In attack, LouCity boasts healthy options at striker again with Cameron Lancaster and Wilson Harris both finding the net last match. Elijah Wynder’s continued growth provides another dynamic threat.

19-year-old goalkeeper Oliver Semmle has also been stellar, recording his league-leading 11th shutout of the season last time out. The rookie broke the USL Championship record for clean sheets by a first-year keeper.

Charleston figures to pose a tough test though, with veteran striker Augustine Williams always a scoring danger. Louisville native Trey Muse has shone in goal for the Battery this campaign. 

These teams played to a 0-0 draw back in April. But with LouCity riding momentum and home-field advantage, expect a spirited affair as City pushes to continue its rise up the table.

Another three points would see LouCity draw even on points with Charleston. They know these are the kinds of statement results needed to solidify themselves as true playoff contenders.

With scoring coming from all over the pitch and coach Danny Cruz pushing the right tactical buttons, Louisville City is peaking at the perfect time. They aim to make that clear to the rest of the conference Wednesday night.

Trying to predict this one is going to be challenging. LouCity is very warm as they have won two in a row, after losing three straight league matches, but Charleston is 3-2-1 in their last six matches. Their lone loss was a 1-0 result last Friday to Oakland which saw an own goal right before half. 

While Louisville has jumped up to fourth in the table, Charleston has been first or second basically all season. Both teams have a very similar goal difference as Charleston has plus one and Louisville is even. However, how they got to those numbers is very different. Charleston has scored ten more goals BUT they have allowed nine more goals than Louisville. 

So, this is going to be a good challenge for LouCity and we will have a better understanding of who they are going to be over the last part of the season and into the playoffs based on how this match goes. Both teams seem evenly matched and I think that is how this one will play out. I will predict a one-to-one draw in this one. But don’t be surprised if LouCity pulls it off and gets the victory over Charleston. 

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